SOV
by Lkay09
Summary: Rose and Scorpius are forced into hiding a few years after Hogwarts. Let's just say...Rose isn't very happy to be isolated with nobody but Scorpius Malfoy. He broke her heart in school, after all.
1. Chapter 1

**Here we go! A new multi-chap from me! This is the highest voted story from the poll on my page (which is still open) so I am publishing it now! I realize in the A/N of my last story I said the end of June for a new fanfic so I'm only a little off. I currently have 2 1/2 chapters written for this story, which I estimate will be about 10 chapters or so at completion if all goes according to plot and plan. I hope to have a new chapter up every week but I am also working about 40 or so hours each week so I make no promises. Anyways, here is the first chapter of SOV! Enjoy!**

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Rose Weasley stared around the small two-bedroom cottage that was now her home. It was quaint, with a small kitchen and Muggle appliances for cooking and doing laundry. There was a large backyard that she could see through the French doors.

She set her bags down and wandered to the back of the house, poking her head into the rooms. There was a larger room in the back of the cottage, with a king-sized bed and large closet. Right down the hall was a smaller room with a view of the front yard. Front trees would be more accurate, she thought as she returned to get her bags. The small house was completely surrounded by them with nothing else in sight.

Rose reached for her wand to levitate her bags, forgetting for a moment that Albus had taken it with him when he had dropped her off here. He had promised to return in a day or two with her wand and an explanation.

The bags were lugged to the biggest room and slowly unpacked. Rose could only hope she wouldn't be staying long – she may not know where she was or why, but Al would only have shown up at her flat at four in the morning, ordered her to pack a bag, and hurried her here with a very good reason.

Sighing wearily, Rose slipped between the sheets and stretched before curling up in a ball and falling asleep.

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She was woken up five hours later by a loud bang coming from the other side of the house.

Slowly, Rose crept out of bed and down the hall, mentally cursing every black unruly hair on her cousin's head for leaving her without a wand. Another crash sounded, coming from the kitchen.

She reached silently for the item nearest to her – a silver candlestick. It seemed to have enough weight to cause _some_ kind of damage to whoever the intruder was.

Rose leapt around the corner, waving the candlestick wildly and praying the intruder didn't have a wand.

Albus let out a yell of pain as something heavy connected with his right shoulder. He turned around, drawing his wand, and ducked as Rose took another swing.

"Rose!" he yelled, still crouched on the floor. "Rose! Stop it!"

Rose heard her name called and she stopped her swinging frenzy long enough to see who she was attacking.

Oh.

She smiled sheepishly as she extended a hand to help him up. He stood, rubbing his shoulder gingerly and grumbling.

"This is the thanks I get for trying to make you breakfast."

Rose peered behind him at the stove, noting the carton of eggs, a package of bacon, and two pans on the stove. She redirected her gaze back to her cousin.

"Since when do you cook?" She asked, her eyebrow arching slightly. It was Al's turn to look sheepish.

"Anne likes when I cook for her," he mumbled, a slight flush rising up his cheeks as he mentioned his fiancée. "I just usually do it by magic – I don't know how to cook the Muggle way."

"So why don't you use magic?" Rose asked confusedly, and Al sighed.

"That's what I needed to talk to you about, actually. Here, let's sit down." He led her over to the couch and she sat, getting more and more worried every second. Albus seated himself on the edge of the coffee table, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Rose," he began slowly, "what have you heard about the recent disappearances?"

Rose's brow furrowed as she thought. "I know a few witches and wizards have gone missing lately. And our parents were pretty worried about it. I went to my mum and dad's the other day and your parents were there. All I heard before they stopped talking was that this is similar to how the wars with Voldemort started." She paused, eyeing her cousin nervously. "What's going on?"

He avoided her gaze, fiddling with the Auror medallion around his neck.

"Albus Severus Potter."

He glanced up to meet Rose's stern gaze.

"Explain."

Al sighed, running his hand through his hair and making it stand on end.

"Seamus Finnegan was murdered last night in his pub."

Rose gasped and Albus plowed on.

"Killing Curse. And the Dark Mark was set over the pub. He was the only one killed or hurt."

Rose lowered the hands that had come up to cover her mouth.

"You said the Dark Mark?"

Al nodded grimly.

"How is that possible?" she exclaimed. "Voldemort's dead! And the Death Eaters were disbanded, and I heard Uncle Harry say that they are all still kept under surveillance."

The young Potter sighed. "We also received a letter at Auror Headquarters about an hour later, claiming responsibility. It said Seamus was killed because he is a war hero, and that he is only the first. As I'm telling you this, Aurors are being dispatched to any old heroes still in the county. They and their families are being slowly moved into hiding unless they choose not to or they want to go abroad. Dad and Uncle Ron have also been reinstated to the Ministry. This has all been kept out of the Prophet so as not to create a panic."

"So that's why I'm here," Rose said slowly. "If this is person is after war heroes and their families, then I could be used to get to my parents or even yours. What about the rest of the family?"

Albus mentally ran through the ever-growing list of members of the Weasley-Potter clan. "Grandmum and Granddad are staying at the Burrow – enchantments have been placed on it. James is still working, but Amber and Sirius are in hiding. Lily went to stay with Teddy," Al made a face at the thought of his little sister staying with her older boyfriend. "Victoire, Dom, Louis, Lucy, and Roxie have all gone to 'visit' Uncle Charlie for awhile. Lorcan went into hiding, and I kind of rushed you here without asking what you wanted to do."

"If I'm safe here, then I'll stay here," Rose said decisively. "But you left out some family members."

"Molly, Fred, James, Hugo, Lysander, Aunt Luna and Uncle Rolf, Uncle Neville and Aunt Hannah, Alice, Aunt Katie and Uncle Oliver, and myself are all staying out of hiding, as are all the rest of our Weasley aunts and uncles."

"But why?" Rose asked. Before Albus could answer, the medallion around his neck began to glow and the letters began to morph. Al studied it for a moment and his eyes widened as he read something Rose couldn't see.

"Shit," he muttered. "I'll be back." Before Rose could ask anything, Al had stood and walked out the back door and into the woods. She watched as he faded from sight into the trees, leaving her all by herself.

She looked around the small cabin nervously. She was alone, and still without her wand. Al had better hurry.

Rose stood and moved toward the back door, peering through the windows to hopefully see some sign of her cousin returning. He had said he would be back, but he hadn't said how long it would take or what he was going to do. What if there had been another attack? What if it was one of their family members?

Rose reminded herself to breathe, to not work herself into a panic. She turned away from the door and began to slowly pace the small length of her kitchen, her brain working over the information Albus had given her.

So someone was after the surviving fighters of the blood wars from her parents' youth. Poor Seamus, Rose thought sadly. He had always been so nice to her growing up. He had been the barman at the Leaky Cauldron for awhile before opening his own pub in Hogsmeade. He had been surprisingly strict about selling anything more than butterbeer to anyone he suspected wasn't of age. Rose offered up a quick prayer for him before turning her mind back to the situation at hand.

Who was behind this? Were they serious about attacking the survivors, trying to incite another war, or was it all just a horrible joke? In her gut, Rose had a bad feeling that the answer to that first question was yes.

She checked her watch and looked out the back door again. There was a rush of relief as she spotted Al's figure making its way back towards her. Rose stepped onto the back porch to meet him. "Well?"

"There was…" Al trailed off, trying to find the right phrase, "not an attack…an attempted recruitment. He said no, so they told him he had two hours to think over his decision. Apparently it was a group of four or five people in cloaks, no visible faces or anything distinctive. After they left, he contacted us, and we decided to put him in hiding." Albus took a deep breath. "With you, here."

Rose shrugged. "Alright. There's another room."

Al visibly sagged with relief. "Thank Merlin. We were afraid that you would say no."

She instantly became suspicious. "Why would I say no?" Her cousin avoided her gaze, looking over his shoulder into the woods. "Who is coming here? Albus Severus Potter!" Rose snapped when he didn't answer. "What aren't you telling me?"

Al looked over his shoulder again, relief sweeping through him as he saw two people headed their way. Dread quickly followed it as he looked again at Rose to see her staring at the taller of the two men.

"Oh no," she said flatly. "No, no, _no_, Albus, absolutely not, put him somewhere else!"

"There _is_ nowhere else, Rosie!" He pleaded, keeping his voice lowered. He could tell she was pissed, and he was slightly scared of her, but what else was he supposed to do.

The new arrivals reached them and stepped up onto the back porch. Rose glared at the tall blonde who had clapped Al on the back and was now smirking at her.

"Malfoy," she said tightly.

"Hello Rosie," he replied with an easy smirk. "Miss me, love?"

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**Well...what do you think? Did my hiatus from writing do me any good or did it cost me all my skills? Review please! I will be working on fine-tuning and finishing the next chapters this week and hopefully starting on more. Also, the poll on my page is still open! I will be removing this story from it, but vote for the next one! Much love :)**


	2. Chapter 2

"_Rosie, can I talk to you for a minute?"_

_The sixteen-year-old closed her book, smiling at her boyfriend and giving him her complete attention as he slid into a seat across from her. "What's up, Scorp?"_

_The Malfoy fidgeted nervously, twisting his hands together in his lap. "This isn't working out, Rose," he finally said, looking at her. "I'm breaking up with you."_

_Rose's jaw dropped and she stared at him. "Wh-what?" she sputtered. "You're breaking up with me?" Her chest seized painfully and her grip tightened on the book in front of her. "Why?"_

"_Don't really want a relationship right now," he said with a shrug, looking as if he didn't care at all that he had just completely broken her heart. "Sorry."_

_She gaped at him, anger temporarily overwhelming the hurt. "What the hell, Scorpius?" She demanded, standing up and bracing her hands on the table. "We've been together for almost a year. A few months ago you told me you love me, and you've said it every day – hell, every _hour – _since then. How can you all of a sudden not want a relationship?"_

_Scorpius stood as well, looking everywhere but at her. "We're only sixteen, Rose. That's kind of young for 'love' and 'forever' and all that stuff, don't you think?"_

_Rose's face hardened and she straightened. "I never asked you for 'forever', _Malfoy_. I never asked you for anything other than you never lie to me and you never betray me. Right now, you seem to be doing both. So whoever she is, or whatever this is about, I hope it's worth it. Because you just made a massive mistake, and trust me, it is one I will _never_ forgive you for."_

_She spun around, wavy red hair whipping out behind her as she marched out of the library. Scorpius watched her leave, waited for the door to close, before sinking back into his seat and burying his head in his hands._

_A tear landed on the tabletop._

Scorpius snapped out of his thoughts as the other Auror walked back into the woods, leaving him with Albus and Rose. Judging by the look on Rose's face, her thoughts had wandered down the same part of memory lane his had.

He supposed he was lucky she hadn't already killed him.

"Let's get inside, shall we?" Albus suggested, looking around them at the woods. Rose spun on her heel and strode inside, Scorpius following her at a more leisurely and less angry pace. He looked around the little cottage, noting the Muggle appliances that he had no clue how to use. All in all, he thought, it was a very homey place.

Al shut the door behind the three of them, and Rose instantly rounded on him.

"Albus. Severus. Potter. _Explain_."

Al opened his mouth, and Scorpius cut him off quickly. "Maybe I should explain first."

Two gazes rounded on him, one nervous and the other angry. He wished for his wand. Instead, he walked over to the couch and seated himself, gesturing for the other two to join him.

Albus resumed his position sitting on the small table, while Rose chose to stand behind him, her arms crossed. Scorpius had to remind himself that she would love nothing more than to kill him at the moment, and that thinking about how gorgeous she was when she was angry would not help him string together coherent sentences.

But Merlin, he had forgotten how gorgeous she was when she was angry.

"I was at my house earlier this evening," he began, focusing on Al instead of Rose, "when I was…approached, for lack of a better term, by several men wearing hoods and masks. They requested that I join them, as I was already 'one of them', to use their phrasing. I asked them what joining entailed, and they said that they intended to put Muggles, Muggleborns, and half-bloods in their place."

"In other words," Rose cut in, "a new blood-war."

He chanced a glance up at her and saw that his news had erased the anger from her face. Instead, she looked like she had in school when they would be studying and she was working on a particularly difficult essay. A stab of regret pierced his chest momentarily, and he forced himself to continue.

"Essentially, yes. They seem to have the same ideals as Voldemort and the Death Eaters did."

"What did you tell them?"

Scorpius leveled a look at her and she shrugged.

"I told them to go to hell. I was then informed that I had two hours to _think over my answer more carefully_ before they would be coming back. They Disapparated and I Flooed to Al's flat. There, I was interrogated about these people for at least an hour before he would agree to let me go into hiding." Scorpius turned his gaze on Albus for a moment, and Al shrugged apologetically. "He didn't think that these S.O.V guys were really going to come back and get me or anything. My place was ransacked when we returned about thirty minutes later."

Rose frowned. "Wait, S.O.V? What does that mean?"

"We don't know," Al interjected, "and by we, I mean the Ministry. That's how the letter about Seamus's death was signed, and they were apparently wearing some kind of badge with that on it when they came for Scorpius."

Rose dragged a hand through her hair and let out a frustrated noise. Scorpius practically had to sit on his hands to keep from moving over to her and rubbing her shoulders to help her relax. He knew old habits died hard, but this was ridiculous – it had been nearly six years since that had been a habit, since he'd even touched her.

"So now Malfoy and I are in hiding together."

She didn't ask it, merely stated it like someone would state the weather. Albus nodded, his gaze uneasy.

"Rosie, I would have -"

"I know."

"There was no -"

"It's fine."

"What happened -"

"It's fine, Al."

Scorpius simply sat in the middle as their conversation – in what he had dubbed their "cousin code" back at school – floated around his head. They'd always been like this, one of them only starting a sentence before the other cut them off with an answer. They could practically read each other's minds, and it never failed to make Scorpius's chest twist with envy. He had never had something like that.

"I'm going to go." Al stood and brushed his hands down the front of his robes, double checking his medallion out of habit. "I think the two of you need to get reacquainted with each other without me here – Merlin only knows how long you're going to be here."

Rose and Scorpius studiously avoided each other's gazes as Al made his way to the door.

"Al, wait!"

The Potter turned back to face his cousin.

"My wand?"

Al's gaze shifted between the two of them hesitantly. "I can't give them to you."

Scorpius stood up slowly and moved next to Rose, his shoulder brushing hers. "What do you mean you can't give them to us?"

"We don't know how yet," Al began with a sigh, "but they're tracing magic. Not like the Trace for underage wizards, but something much more advanced than that. They've figured out how to directly trace the magical signature in a spell. If one of you casts so much as a cleaning charm, they can figure out who did it and they'll be here in a matter of minutes, if even that."

"You can't leave us here completely defenseless!" Rose cried. On instinct, Scorpius grabbed her hand and began rubbing soothing circles on the back of it. "If they do manage to find us, they'll be able to kill us, we won't even have a chance!"

Al looked at them wearily. "It's not up to me, Rosie. Trust me, I don't like the thought of it any better than the two of you. But I have orders. Your wands are with me, and they'll be safe. You will be safe here – you're too far away from anyone or anything."

"Then what about food?" Scorpius asked. "What the bloody hell are we supposed to do out here? Forage?"

Rose could see Albus's mouth twitch at that, like he was repressing a smile.

"No, you won't have to forage. There is enough food in the refrigerator and cabinets to last you about two weeks. When it starts to run low, I'll be back to replenish it. I can't Apparate anywhere near here, I have to walk from a few miles away, as Scorpius knows now. And as for what you're supposed to do out here…" he paused, glaring at them for a moment. "Just don't kill each other, that's all I ask."

Before either Rose or Scorpius could utter another word or ask another question, Al had stepped out the back door and set off into the woods.

"Rose?"

His voice pulled her from her thoughts and made her aware that he was still holding her hand. She yanked it away and crossed her arms, glaring at him. "What?"

"What's a refriger-thingy?"

She rolled her eyes. "You took Muggle Studies, did you not pay attention?"

He hadn't paid attention, he thought. He'd always been staring at her. Her tutoring him was the only reason he managed to pass the class at all.

"That was years ago," he said flatly, annoyed with himself. "I haven't used anything from that class since the last test we took for it. So what is it?"

Rose sighed. "It's like a cabinet with a Chill Charm on it. It keeps food cold so it doesn't go bad, except instead of a Chill Charm it runs on electricity."

Scorpius's brow furrowed. "What's that?"

Her hand twitched like she was going for the wand she no longer had, and he had to bite back a smile. "I'm not going to re-teach you everything from Muggle Studies, Malfoy. You will have to figure out things on your own." She made to walk past him down the hallway, then turned back to him. "Just don't hurt yourself while you do. I'm not going to be your caretaker, Malfoy."

"My name is Scorpius," he reminded her, grabbing her wrist when she started to walk away again.

"I'm aware of that," Rose replied, her eyes narrowing.

"Then use it."

"And if I don't?"

Scorpius sighed and let go of her wrist. "Rose, we're going to be here for Merlin knows how long. Do you want to make it more painful than you're already anticipating it being?"

She arched an eyebrow, taking a small step back. "I don't think me calling you by your first name is going to make this any less awful, _Malfoy_. So I'll stick with the last name, if it's all the same to you."

He opened his mouth to say that it really wasn't all the same to him, but before he could, she had vanished down the hall and shut the door, leaving him standing alone.

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**Well, what did you think? Tell me in a review! Chapter 3 is coming along and tomorrow is my day off so it should be finished then to be posted next weekend! Much love :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so proud of myself! I have managed to update every week! Yay me! Unfortunately this is the last of the chapters that I already had completed, but I have three more days off this week so I should be able to get Chapter 4 done before next Saturday or Sunday! I want to keep it up so you guys don't start to hate me!  
Anyways, this chapter starts to get to the bottom of what really happened with Scorpius back in sixth year, and that will fully come out in the next chapter! Enjoy!**

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After a few days, the two of them settled into a kind of routine in the little cabin. Scorpius began sorting out how to use the Muggle appliances and even successfully made a small microwaveable dinner without burning it.

Rose spent most of her time in her room, wanting to avoid Scorpius as much as possible. Fortunately, Al had come back the third day of their captivity – and Rose was really starting to feel like a captive – with a large supply of books and had even brought Rose a few rolls of yarn. She had always loved to knit and crochet ever since she was a teenager and had already begun a new blanket in maroon and gold. She supposed if she finished it before they were allowed to leave hiding she could ask Albus for some blue and grey yarn and make Malfoy a blanket as well, if for no other reason than to pass the time.

To Rose, it was a miracle that Scorpius had left her alone as much as he had. She understood why he was there, why he was in hiding with her, but it didn't make it any less awkward. Sometimes it was even painful to be around him. Despite the fact that their brief relationship had ended years ago, he had still been her first love, the first guy she had ever really been serious about. That left an ache in her chest every time she thought about it.

A knock at her door pulled her out of her crocheting-induced trance.

"Yes?"

Scorpius poked his head inside, followed only a moment later by his entire body.

"I just wanted to see what you were doing. And how you're doing."

"Crocheting. And I'm fine." She looked back down at the yarn in her lap and resumed her crocheting. Through the loop, around the hook, pull through, and then through again; the movements had long since been second nature for her.

Scorpius sighed, watching her work on whatever project she had taken up. He knew that she hated the fact that he was here, and that they were essentially stranded together for an undetermined amount of time, but he'd been hoping she might gradually relax around him. With nobody to really talk to, he'd started to feel like he was going slightly insane, and in a fit of desperation had come to her room to force her to make conversation.

Warily, he moved towards the bed and sat down on the edge of it, watching her hands move quickly. He didn't miss the glare she shot him momentarily before focusing on her work again.

"What is it?" He asked, amazed by the speed of her hands.

"A blanket for my mum and dad." She didn't look up as she replied.

"That's nice of you."

Rose didn't answer, still focusing on her work.

"Rose, talk to me. I'm going crazy here, and you can't keep ignoring me!"

"I don't see why we have to talk to each other," she said, determinedly not looking at him.

"Maybe because we are stuck in a house together for Merlin knows how long and we will both go insane if we spend all of that time by ourselves." When Rose didn't respond, Scorpius sighed and stood, heading for the door.

"Fine."

He looked back at her, but she hadn't changed her position on the bed; the crochet hook still moved determinedly in and out of the yarn. Scorpius was almost sure he had hallucinated hearing her until she looked up at him.

"Fine," she repeated, "we can have conversations and talk and be something like friends. But only for the time we are here," she continued before hesitating. "And you can't talk about Hogwarts."

_About us_ was the unspoken thought that he understood. He nodded as if in agreement before heading back to his own room. Scorpius had no intention of talking about them any time soon, but he was determined to bring it up before they left the small cabin. He owed her an explanation.

After the door had shut behind him, Rose closed her eyes and tilted her head back, breathing deeply. This was ridiculous, she told herself. They had been over for years, she hadn't seen or spoken to him since their last days at Hogwarts. So there was no reason for her to feel like she was still in school, still having to avoid him. It was ridiculous, she repeated to herself, to feel like there was still that ache in her chest, the one that had taken up residence when he had dumped her. She was over him and had been for awhile, Rose told herself firmly. And she would prove it to both of them by being civil and normal while they were stuck together, and then once they left she could return to pretending like he didn't exist.

Rose climbed out of the bed and set her blanket-in-progress gently to the side. What better way to show she could be civil with Scorpius than to make dinner for the two of them?

Scorpius was already sitting in the living room reading when she walked in.

"Are you hungry?" she asked politely as she made her way into the kitchen.

Slowly, Scorpius closed his book. "I could eat," he replied, watching her rummage through the refrige-thingy and cabinets for food.

"I'm going to make some chicken for dinner tonight if that's okay." She pulled out some pans and set them on the stove before turning her attention to the vegetables she had set on the cutting board.

"You can cook?" Scorpius asked her amazedly, watching her move confidently around the kitchen. "Since when?"

"I learned the summer after sixth year." She paused for a moment, not looking at him. "My Grandma Molly taught me, and then I just kept cooking, experimenting with recipes and food. What I'm making now is my favorite chicken recipe."

Scorpius watched her work in the kitchen for a few minutes before returning to his book. The silence between them, he noticed, wasn't uncomfortable like it had been previously. Instead it was more relaxed, less awkward and tense.

"Food's ready," Rose announced about thirty minutes later. Scorpius closed his book again and stepped into the kitchen, instantly overwhelmed by the smells.

"Merlin, that's amazing," he said while inhaling. "I remember your Grandma Molly's cooking, I bet this is just as wonderful." He pulled two plates out of the cabinet and handed one to her.

"Thank you," she replied quietly.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Scorpius ventured to break it.

"What have you been doing since Hogwarts?"

Rose glanced at him and looked back at her food. "Well for the last four years I've been working with my Uncle George at the joke shop, the original headquarters in Diagon Alley. Before that I just traveled for a year, visiting Spain, Italy, France, Greece. I even went to the States for a few months."

"What was that like?"

Rose described the various places she had seen and people she had met, sometimes using her fork to gesture in the air. He found it as easy as ever to watch her, enjoying the way her eyes lit up as she told a brief story, a piece of chicken practically flailing around on the end of her fork before she ate it. She was still so beautiful, even more so than she had been in school. Not for the first time did he silently curse his grandfather for costing him one of the best things to ever happen to him. Now he just had to hope that when he managed to make Rose listen to his explanation she would believe it. He wasn't holding out a whole lot of hope for a reconciliation – just a little, rather – but he _was_ really hoping for her forgiveness.

"Scorpius?"

He blinked, pulling himself from his thoughts. Rose was staring at him somewhat anxiously.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course," he said in what he hoped was a relaxed tone. "I just zoned out for a moment there, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she replied, still eyeing him strangely. Rose stood and carried her plate to the sink while Scorpius finished his now-lukewarm chicken.

"Wait," he said, having a belated realization, "you called me Scorpius."

Instantly he could see Rose's shoulders tense, and she shut off the water. "So?"

Scorpius sighed. "You're still mad, aren't you? About the…about sixth year?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Rose scoffed. "It's been six years, and I haven't seen you for five of them. Why would I still be mad?" He noticed she didn't turn around to face him when she spoke, nor did her shoulders relax.

"Maybe because I was an arse," he replied with a shrug, "and I wouldn't blame you if you were still mad." He carried his dish to the sink and stood next to her. "Are you?"

Rose moved away from him quickly. "No. Even if you wouldn't blame me for still being mad, how idiotic would I have to be to be completely unable to let go of something that happened that long ago?" Aggravated, she pulled her hair into a ponytail, brushing the few uncooperative red curls out of her face. "I'm not mad. I'm not upset, and I'm not hurt." Even to her own ears, the denials sounded weak and she made an angry noise.

"Rose," Scorpius said gently, taking a slow step toward her. "It's okay if you are. I know I hurt you and I know I ruined a really good thing between us, and I'm sorry for that, I really am. So be mad at me, be upset, be hurt." He made a motion as if to reach for her but she moved quickly away from him.

"No," she replied firmly. "I won't be any of those things, because only a desperate person hangs on to feelings that long. So take your apology and shove it!"

"What in the name of Merlin is going on?"

Rose and Scorpius both turned towards the back door, where unbeknownst to either of them, Albus had walked in only a minute earlier. Warily, he stepped forward, taking in the tension between his cousin and his friend.

"Nothing," Rose finally replied, moving around Scorpius to put the pans in the sink. "Everything's fine."

"Doesn't seem like it," Al said, watching Scorpius watch Rose.

"It's fine, Al." He noted the sharpness of her tone and wisely let the subject drop.

"I just came by to see how the two of you are settling in," he said, seating himself at the table. Scorpius eyed him nervously.

"Why do you say 'settling in' like we're going to be here for awhile?" He asked. "Are things not getting better out there?" Rose shut off the water again and turned around.

Albus shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Things are only getting worse. No more deaths, but a lot of injuries, and now there have been attacks on Muggles. I swear, sometimes when I see my dad hear about what's happening, it's like he's having flashbacks. He keeps saying that it's exactly like the war that happened when he was younger, attacks on Muggles, forced recruitments. He's predicting that a lot people will start going missing next, and not because they're in hiding."

"Al..." Rose said slowly, "the war from our parents' school days went on for _years_. You don't think that's going to happen here do you?"

Her cousin shrugged. "I honestly couldn't say, Rosie. The Ministry is doing everything it can to stop these S.O.V. guys, but if it takes more than a few months, we may have to move you to another safe house to keep you protected. Staying in one location too long, without the ability to cast a Fidelius Charm, is too dangerous."

"I really hope that won't be necessary. Are you any closer to figuring out what S.O.V. means or who's behind it?"

Al shook his head. "No, we aren't. We had a few Aurors who we hoped they might try to recruit so that we could get an inside look, but whatever these guys are after, our guys don't fit the bill."

Rose pinched the bridge of her nose. "Bloody fantastic."

Albus stood and stepped forward to hug Rose. "I'll be back in a few days with more information, and more food. Maybe next time you can save me some of dinner?" He looked at her hopefully, and in spite of the situation, she couldn't help but smile slightly.

"I'll see what I can do Al," she replied, hugging him tightly.

"Thanks, Rosie."

With a quick handshake for Scorpius, Al was gone again. Rose studiously avoided looking at Scorpius as she continued to clean up, despite the fact that she could feel his gaze burning into her back.

"We are going to finish this discussion, Rose," Scorpius finally said. "Whether you want to or not, before we leave here we are going to have it all out. You can't avoid it much longer."

Rose spun around, a retort on the tip of her tongue, but Scorpius was already in his room with the door firmly closed.

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**So...whatcha think? Enough to make you want to stick around for the next chapter? Hope so! See you next week! As always, much love and review :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**So I am the most horrible person in the world, aren't I? I know y'all hate me and I understand! I beg for your forgiveness!**

**In my defense, I am a History graduate student, and already this semester I've written about 10 papers and been working on minor pieces of two much larger papers. I have had zero free time, other than what I spend sleeping, although I've been trying to work on this in bits and pieces when I can. I cannot promise a quick update for chapter 5, although a lot of it is already swirling around in my mind. But here, at least, is chapter 4! Enjoy!**

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Before either of them could believe it, a month in hiding had flown by. There was civility between them now, and frequent conversations that had begun to focus more and more on the growing problems outside their cabin. Every time Albus stopped by with food or yarn and books for Rose, he also brought them news of what was becoming more and more like the war from their parents' days.

Dean Thomas had been attacked but had lived and was now in St Mungo's under heavy guard. Several prominent members of the Wizengamot who were open with their support of Muggleborns had been targeted and three of them had been killed. There was rarely any good news to be had anymore and Rose sometimes felt grateful that she was stuck in the little cabin, isolated from the problems of their world. She often felt guilty after these thoughts, but was still happy to be safe each day.

Scorpius shared Rose's feelings about being in hiding, despite the fact that he had never considered himself a coward. But he had always known he wasn't like Al, he wasn't cut out to be an Auror or a hero of any kind. He would protect himself and those he cared about, but he knew himself well enough to know that he didn't have it in him to put his life on the line for the entire Wizarding world; for that, he was fairly unapologetic.

And while he wanted the fighting and the attacks and the disappearances to end, he couldn't help himself from being grateful for the time it gave him with Rose. He hadn't thought he would see her again after Hogwarts, although every time he was in Diagon Alley he couldn't help but look for her. Supposedly she had been working at Flourish and Blotts for awhile, but whenever he ducked in under the guise of looking for a book, she hadn't been there. Scorpius wasn't trying to deny to himself that he still had feelings for her. He had dated other girls both before and after Rose, but there was something about her that had kept tugging at him for years, even after they had broken up.

And now, he thought as he watched her bake cookies, they were stronger than ever. Being around her again, hearing her voice and her laughter – he had managed to make her laugh once or twice recently – seeing her smile or even seeing her glare at him…it had made him feel like he was in fifth year again when all he wanted was to make this vibrant person notice him.

Rose frowned down at the chocolate and peanut butter chip cookies she had made. Scorpius was staring at her again, she could feel it. He'd been doing that a lot lately, not even looking away when she caught him.

She wasn't an idiot, she mused, sliding the cookies from the tray to the plate. He'd been fairly open with the fact that he still had some of the feelings for her from when they were younger. And while she hadn't been as open as him, Rose had at least admitted to herself that there were still feelings on her side too.

However, she thought to herself firmly, there was no way it was going to go anywhere. He could flirt and charm all he wanted but she wasn't going to let it affect her. Scorpius Malfoy had broken her heart once, and he wasn't going to do it again.

"Cookies are ready," she said with a brightness she didn't quite feel, turning around. "Eat them while they're warm." Rose set the plate on the table and turned to start cleaning up.

Scorpius caught at her wrist and turned her back to face him. He didn't miss the warning glare she shot him but held on and tightened his grip. "I want to talk to you." He could practically _see_ her carefully rearrange her face into an expression of indifference.

"About what?"

"About what you have been trying to avoid for a month now."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Scorpius tugged firmly on her wrist to pull her into the living room, sitting on the couch and pulling her down next to him. "You're still mad at me and we're going to talk about it." Rose made to stand up but he tightened his grip on her wrist and pulled her back down. "There is no telling how long we are going to be here and I am not going to have it be uncomfortable the entire time."

"They might move us somewhere else." She avoided his eyes, instead fixing her gaze on his hand locked around her wrist.

"That's beside the point and you know it."

"Well they might separate us, and then this discussion would be pointless." She finally looked at him, her expression guarded.

"I don't bloody care, Rose. _I_ need to know. _I _need to settle this and get everything out in the open."

Rose yanked her hand away from him and stood up. "And what if I don't? What if I have no desire to bring up the unpleasantness of the past? It's bad enough that it stares me in the face every day when I see you, but now you want me to actually relive it?"

Scorpius sighed. "I'm not saying you have to relive it, Rose. I just want you to finally acknowledge that you're still mad and still hurt, and you have every right to be! I was a complete arse, and you have every right to hate me!" He stood up too and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Just let it out."

"No!" Rose shoved his hands off and backed up a step. "You don't get it, Scorpius, you really don't. I made up my mind the second I walked out of that library that I was done with you. I didn't want to ever see or speak to you ever again. And somehow, for the most part, I managed that, at least until Albus brought you here to torment me. So excuse me if I have no desire to rehash things." She tried again to leave and again found his hand wrapped firmly around her wrist.

"Maybe you made up your mind to be done with me, but I was never done with you."

Rose's jaw dropped, and her hand went limp in his grasp. "_You_ were never done with _me_? Bloody hell, Scorpius, _you_ ended things!"

"Not because I wanted to!" He yelled. He let go of her hand and ran both of his through his hair. He could see the shock all over her face and was relieved that he would finally be able to give her some answers, make her understand.

"What do you mean…not because you wanted to?" Rose said slowly, staring at Scorpius. "How do you break up with someone without wanting to do it?" She paused for a moment, thinking. "Were you trying to keep something from me and that was the only way? Did you…did you cheat on me?"

Scorpius shot her a look. "No, I didn't cheat on you. I would never have done that, I was so helplessly in love with you."

Rose was surprised to feel relief sweep through her, temporary though it was. At least he hadn't been lying when he had said he loved her, and at least the memories of their time together weren't completely tarnished. But if he hadn't cheated on her…

"I don't understand, Scorpius. If it wasn't that, then what was it?"

Scorpius sighed and sat back down, his face in his hands. "It was my grandfather." He looked up to see Rose staring at him, nonplussed.

"Your grandfather?"

Scorpius nodded.

"I still don't understand."

He sighed again. "The Easter holiday after we had started dating, he and my grandmother returned from their trip abroad. My parents hadn't told them about us, and while my grandmother wasn't displeased, my grandfather…"Scorpius broke off for a second, scrubbing his face. "He ripped into my father. Said that his grandson had no business associating himself with someone as low as a Weasley, that the relationship sullied the family name." He laughed without humor. "As if everything that he had done in the Wizarding Wars hadn't sullied the family name enough already. My father and mother defended our relationship, but when I got home for the holiday, my grandfather asked to speak to me privately." He glanced over. Rose sat still, staring at him uncomprehendingly.

"And?" She prompted him.

"And he told me to break up with you."

Slowly, Rose stood, and Scorpius could see her hands shaking.

"Was that all it took?" She demanded. "He told you to end it so you did? Despite the fact that you were supposedly completely in love with me?"

Scorpius stood too. "Of course not! I told him, in a slightly politer way, that he could go to hell! I told him that I loved you and that there was no way I would break up with you."

"Well obviously you changed your mind," Rose snapped. "Not even a month later you ended things."

"He blackmailed me!"

For what felt like the millionth time in the last ten minutes, Rose's jaw dropped.

"He blackmailed you?"

Scorpius nodded and had to resist the urge to punch the wall. Even after all this time, it still angered Scorpius to no end that Lucius had deemed Rose not good enough and had forced Scorpius to hurt the person most important to him.

"He informed me, in no uncertain terms, that if I did not end things with you, he would ruin your chances of ever working anywhere outside your family's business. Somehow he knew that you wanted to work for Flourish & Blotts or eventually open your own bookstore. And at that point he also managed to look down his nose at your career choices, but he assured me that despite the bad associations with the name Malfoy, he still had enough money and power to ensure that you failed."

"So why didn't you tell me this?" Rose cried, throwing up her hands. "Why not come straight to me and tell me? We could have figured it out _together_, like a couple is supposed to!"

"I didn't want to take that chance!" He was practically shouting by this point but couldn't help himself. "I didn't want my grandfather to have the reason or opportunity to ruin your dreams! I was sixteen and freaking out because either I was going to lose you or you were going to lose the opportunity to do what you had wanted to since you were a little girl."

Rose sank down on the couch, completely dumbstruck.

For years, she had convinced herself that Scorpius hadn't been in love with her. She'd made herself believe that he had broken her heart because he was a jerk and a prick and that he had wanted something or someone else. Instead, it was because he had loved her so much he had been protecting her, protecting her dreams.

Her head was spinning.

"Scorpius, I…I don't know what to say." Rose stared at her hands. "I can't believe you did that. I've been so mad at you for so long, and I…"

He seated himself on the table opposite her and took her hands in his. "I'm glad you finally admit that you were mad at me all this time," he said with a half-laugh. "But I'm just glad that I finally got the chance to tell you what happened and why it happened. I've wanted to tell you for years, I've looked for you every time I was in Diagon Alley or anywhere there was a Wizarding bookstore, especially after my grandfather finally died."

Rose just stared at him, still in shock.

Scorpius felt it in his gut, that tugging that he always got when he was around her, especially lately. And she was so close to him, she hadn't pulled her hands away from his, she was still just staring at him out of those beautiful blue eyes.

He wanted to kiss her so badly, and it hadn't slipped by him that her eyes were darting between his own eyes and his lips. Scorpius could feel his heart speeding up just slightly: maybe this was his chance, _their_ chance, to see what they still had. His grandfather was gone, he couldn't interfere anymore. Rose probably wouldn't trust him at first, but he was willing to work past that.

Everything was happening in slow motion. Scorpius could see the space between them closing ever so slightly and it was like he was holding his breath. There were only inches between them now, he could see every fleck of color in her eyes.

He could feel her breath on his lips.

"Rose!"

Scorpius shut his eyes and mentally cursed the day that Albus Potter had been born.

Startled, Rose yanked her hands from Scorpius and stood, turning to face Al as he burst in the door.

"Rose!"

Al's face was pale, standing out against his black hair and green eyes.

"Al?" Rose's voice shook. "What is it?" Scorpius could see her hands starting to shake.

"It's Uncle Ron. He's in St Mungo's. Rosie…it's not good."

Scorpius barely managed to stretch out his arms in time as Rose made a whimpering sound and sank towards the floor.

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**Hate me more now?**

**Like I said above, I cannot promise a quick update for Chapter 5, despite the semi-cliffhanger. I've got a lot in my head, the problem is finding time to put it on the computer!**

**As always, review! Much love!**


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